Editorial was uninformed and clearly anti-military

TO THE EDITOR:

The editorial staff of The Daily Tar Heel has exposed both its patent ignorance and blatant anti-military bias in the editorial, “Discrimination? Don’t Ask,” (Nov. 17).

The policy barring open homosexuals from serving in the military, commonly known as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” seems to be the DTH’s main criticism of the military and the reason that the university should “take a moral stance” and reject collaboration with the military.

Any small amount of research would have showed that the policy was enacted in 1993 by Congress and approved by President Bill Clinton, not a cabal of homophobic generals intent on discriminating against the sexuality of servicemen and women.

In order to change the military’s rules regarding homosexuality, the president and Congress must pass a law repealing the ban. The Army has no control over the policy. The military has no choice but to enforce the policy that the civilian leadership in Washington dictates.

Essentially, what the editorial staff at the DTH has advocated is denying servicemen and women in Afghanistan and Iraq the resources they need to communicate with the people in the countries where they are serving.

This increases the chances of miscommunication and endangers our countrymen and women overseas, who had nothing to do with “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” The DTH would be better served by going after the president and Congress for failing to overturn the policy, rather than our servicemen and women.



Kyle Olson
Sophomore
International Studies